The Association of American Railroads said U.S. rail traffic for the week ending July 19 saw a notable uptick in both carloads and intermodal units compared to the same period a year ago.
Total U.S. weekly rail traffic reached 506,882 carloads and intermodal units, a 5.6% increase y/y.
Carloads numbered 229,739, marking a 7.3% percent rise. All carload commodity groups experienced increases, with significant gains seen in coal, which rose by 4,496 carloads to 62,270. Grain followed closely, with an increase of 4,284 carloads to 21,541, while metallic ores and metals climbed by 1,781 carloads to 21,220. These figures reflect a broad-based recovery in industrial demand and agricultural output, key sectors directly influencing rail traffic volumes.
Alongside the rise in carloads, U.S. weekly intermodal volume also saw an upturn, with 277,143 containers and trailers processed, a 4.3% increase y/y.
For the first 29 weeks of 2025, cumulative volume was 6,363,575 carloads, up 2.7% y/y. Intermodal totaled 7,771,228 units, up 5%. Total combined U.S. traffic was 14,134,803 carloads and intermodal units, an increase of 3.9% y/y.
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